Josh Linkner on Innovation and Creativity

Josh Linkner is somebody with lots of range who wears a lot of different hats and is not afraid to step into these different parts of himself. He calls himself a “creative troublemaker.” He passionately believes that all human beings have incredible creative capacity. He’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar. At his core, Josh cares deeply about helping, impacting, and influencing people in a positive way, and he does so through speaking and writing. He’s written 4 books, he’s a keynote speaker, and he’s been the founder and CEO of 5 tech companies (which have sold for a combined value of over $200 million). He’s invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners. Josh is passionate about his hometown and it’s influenced him in a variety of ways, including how much he’s obsessed with, and interested in, and loves jazz. Today, Josh serves as Chairman and co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research training and consulting firm. He’s twice been named Earns and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

In this episode, we discuss Josh’s upbringing and the role of music in his life (5:45), what it was like being exposed to so many cultures through jazz in Detroit (7:44), what it was like for him having his parents get divorced when he was very young (9:00), his siblings (9:53), when business became something he was interested in (10:31), if he’s more like his mom, his dad, or someone else in his life who nurtured him and helped to shape him (11:50), if there is a downside to saying “I’ll show you” when someone says they don’t believe in you (15:51), what motivates him today (16:44), how to unlock creativity in people (18:41), his favorite techniques to unlock creativity (20:15), how constraints can drive creativity (23:51), nurturing creativity in children (26:56), if he had 24 hours to live, what he would do to fill that day (34:11), why he continues to be involved in the business world and what his relationship is with business (35:31), what he looks for when he’s hiring people (36:45), what he looks for when investing in people and companies (40:28), arrogance (43:22), what he’s learned about writing and what his process is like (48:43), what he does to set his mind before going on stage for a speaking event (51:43), what makes a good mentor (53:06), why he’s so passionate about Detroit (54:49), and how he makes sure he’s setting his mind to be the best version of himself every day (57:28).

You can check out Josh’s new book, “Big Little Breakthroughs,” as well as his full website here. Additionally, feel free to send him an email at [email protected].

Thanks so much to Josh for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.